Luka Dongic was left without his first assistant, but he has a new power under the hoops

Texas in its first season with a coach Jason Kidd Made a big step forward. Under his leadership, they jumped from Defense 21 in the NBA to seventh, which was especially notable in the playoffs. Trade during the season they came to Dallas for Kristaps Porzingis Spencer Dinwiddy And the Davis Bertans, also proved to be a complete success. Dinwiddie became one of the main guys. With him in the lineup, the Mavs have won 18 of their last 23 regular season games. In the playoffs, they eliminated first at Utah (4:2) and then, in seven games, first seeded Phoenix in the league. Golden State stopped them in the Western Finals.

Galen Bronson’s sad passing

But the team’s natural development took a hit in the summer. At first, Dallas fans cheered for the arrival of the center Christian Wood, who scored nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds in Houston. For him, Dallas gave up the 26th draft pick and four other basketball players who weren’t on duty in the playoffs. The shock came a few days later. Galen Bronson, the second best goalkeeper and goalscorer, decided to turn down Dallas and sign a $100 million contract with New York. Bronson averaged 21.6 points in the playoffs, including performances of 41, 31 and 31 points per game.

Bronson’s departure severely affected Dallas’ ambitions. While the visible holes under the collars were patched with wood and another center To Gaval McGeeWithout compensation, they lost a prominent organizer of the game, who kept the team together not only with Donči on the bench, but also with him on the ground. Jason Kidd’s system of having two playmakers at the same time in the top five proved to be successful, so Bronson’s loss was even more painful. Thus, Dallas was left with only two major organizers of the game – Doncic and Dinwiddy, who were now « forced » to start the game in the first five. There were many rumors about him arriving as a replacement Goran Dragic, who later admitted he was nowhere near signing. Just before the start of the season, they decided to pick the Argentine in Dallas Facounda Campazhalast year a basketball player from Denver, before that from Real Madrid.

Calculation of the sum of minutes Doncic and Dinwiddy

Try the rookie kid in your first five pre-season games Jaden Hardy, but quickly answered reporters that Dinwiddie would start the match along with Dondjic. The latter must also be the owner of the second five. Dončić is expected to play the entire first quarter, Dinwiddie in the opening six minutes, before returning to the ground at the start of the second, where Luca will rest until the last few minutes. Relief will come in the form of Campazza, Frank Netlikinahardy Josh Green And a newcomer Tyler Dorseywho joined the Mavericks from Olympiacos.

We don’t break the hot water with the thesis that Dallas will be up to what Doncic will play. The 23-year-old Slovenian ace is the number one choice of Player of the Season by bookmakers, NBA team managers and experts. Compared to the previous season, in which he came to the « abandoned » workouts and has been chasing the shape for a long time, this year he is practically optimally prepared from the start. Individual training and a summer on the national team herald a strong start to the NBA season.

Bullock, Vinnie Smith and Mackie are also in the top five

In addition to Dončić and Dinwiddie, they will start the games Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney Smith Somewhat surprisingly Gavel McGee, who took the lead over Wood. The 27-year-old will be especially under the magnifying glass. He averaged 19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and one block per game in two seasons in Houston, but he was one of the worst in the league. The basketball player with a height of 208 cm and a soft three-pointed arm did not play in a playoff. Dallas is his eighth team in eight years. Wood is in the final year of the contract, which will pay him $14.3 million.

Wood’s struggle for a new decade

Wood is in the window and Dallas will dissect his game and rivalry with Donči before offering him a new contract. Otherwise, the wood is very mobile and looks like on paper it was made for playing with Dončić. He handles the ball well and can create a shooting position himself. While the defenses will focus on Doncic, Wood will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself. His defensive play is particularly questionable, and as a result McGee got the upper hand in the first five. Kidd is aware of Wood’s skills, but his defensive mantra calls for careful moves and a slow introduction. Last but not least, Wood has yet to prove himself in his career either in the defense of the four or the defense of the five.

The return of Tim Hardaway

He will also start from the bench Tim Hardaway Jr.who will return to the team after a leg injury in January. Let’s not forget that the 30-year-old was the second-best MAV scorer in the playoffs last year, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven first-round games. The start of last season was not promising, as his shooting efficiency (14.2 points) and his shot percentage declined. Was Hardaway just a victim of getting used to Kidd’s system? Was he unlucky? We’ll get answers soon, because it will also depend on a lot whether Dallas will fill the void after Bronson is gone.

not even maxi clipper Last year he didn’t start a game, but he was one of the key players in the playoffs mainly due to his defensive play and his three-point shot, which was over 40%. McGee gives Dallas an edge on the racket, but Kleber is better and more mobile in coverage away from the basket. It will also play a very important role in the central rotation.

Dallas is sixth in the West and eleventh in the entire league

Luca said after last season that he wants to take another step forward this year. Is this realistic? Bookmakers Dallas is ranked sixth in the West after Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver. They are eleventh in the entire league for final victories. It was similar last year, but the Mavericks made it to the semifinals.

« The team has seen some changes, but in terms of scope, things remain similar to the past three seasons. With McGee’s arrival, they consolidated under the basket and in the jump, which was a big problem after the Kristaps Porzingis trade last year. At Wood, Luka gets a new Pick-and-Roll partner. Wood can be very versatile and unpredictable in attack, unfortunately the same goes for defense and in the dressing room. Dinwiddie will also have to prove he can replace Brunson as the second inventor over the course of the season,« In my opinion, a great expert in Dallas and writer of many articles for the American media Franco outlet.

« This team is still very competitive in the regular season and could undoubtedly be placed in the top third of the NBA League, in the ranks of teams aiming for around 50 wins per season. However, this year, with some stars returning after injuries, the Western Conference will be much more competitive than last year, at least at the start of the season.Franco adds.

Hear a more comprehensive analysis with Iztok Frank on Wednesday in the MMC SOS Echo podcast.

The season will start on Wednesday evening. Dallas will play Game 1 Thursday night at 4:00 in Phoenix.